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Patented June 2, 1931 SHOE STIFFENER AND PRQUESS 0F lilo Drawing.

This invention relates to shoe stifi'ening material such as is formed from fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic substances, that is, substances which at atmospheric and body temperature are rigid but which become soft and pliable when moderately heated, such as various compounds and mixtures of asphaltic and bituminous material, gums, resins, or kindred substances.

Particularly Where such materialis to be shaped to the toe Without danger For this reason the cheaper grades of felt such as produced on a paper machine are not suitable, a felted material such as is produced by felting machines being much more satisfacmry, though adding materially to the cost of the stiffener.

Machines for effecting the fabrication of felt such as heretofore used for box toes are bulky and slow in operation, the fibers from which the felt is made being shaken together and gradually reduced from a relatively thick sheet to the much more densified sheet mate rial in the finished felt. e process is long and slow and requires careful handling throughout by skilled workmen.

The object of this invention is to provide a stid'ening material of which the fibrous base may be made on a paper machine and composed of such material as shall be eminently suited, because of its strength, porousness, and ability to Withstand the forming operations about the last, without tearing or being otherwise injured. By producing the material on a paper machine it may be manufactured with great rapidity and with a comparatively simple mechanism and with but little expense for labor due to the relatively great output of a single paper machine. This is made possible by forming the material with a large proportion'of goat or cattle hair which is preferably so treated as to be retained in its original length in the felt, Without the formation of lumps or thick and thin spots in the A considerable quantity of hair of original a ay successfully incorporated in Ielt provided a material is added which.

UFALG'TURE Application filed September 1a, 1923. Serial No. 662,224.

is capable of individualizing the hair so that it may be separated and uniformly mixed in s imy mass also containing relatively short hair. To this mixture may be added the long hair which may be individualized thereby and distributed throughout the mass. The beater roll may be so adjusted as to comb out the long hair without cutting it, so that practically all of it may finally appear in the felted product in its original length. The i for accomplishing this are more fully described and claimed in m application for patent Serial N umber 662,220 filed September 12, 1923, for method of making. For example, rags, sulphate or su or combinations thereof, 20 parts by parts of goat or cattle hair and 6 to 10 parts of caustic soda together with and reduced to a slimy mass. The heater roll is then raised slightly and parts or" long hair are added and the beating continued sufficiently hard to comb out the hair without cutting it until it is thoroughly individual- 10 parts of alum are then added to precipitate the dissolved hair.

lln place of the mixture of short hair and caustic soda, leather dissolved in caustic soda may be employed. The leather may be dissolved in the caustic and the solution added to the heater or the leather may be placed in heater in the form of chips or skivings and the caustic allowed to act thereon during beating operation. This also forms a slimy mass which is capable of individualizing the long hair which is later added thereto. This method and the furnish are more fully described and claimed in my application for Patent Serial N umber 662,222 filed September 12, 1923, for hair felt and method of making.

Still another method of individualizing hair felt and lphite pulp, and rags and Wood the long hair consists in mixing a solution of izing agent for the long hair and-is washed soap or saponified oils or fatty acids with out with the wash water, the hair of original the-long hair. This latter method produces length representing from 70% to 90% of the a felt capable of having a greater proportion felt, is that its surface is somewhat rough so of hair of original length than the two prethat when the stiffener is heated the thermo- 70 vious methods. For example, to parts plastic material flows between it and the adjaof cellulose fiber such as sulphate, rags, cotcent shoe parts and acts as it hardens to ton, linters, etc., or combinations thereof, are firmly unite all the parts. There is thus no beaten out for about 15 minutes. The beater possibility of the shoe upper loosening from roll is then raised and hair from 'to 9O thestiffener when in use and wrinkling as parts added, together with 20 parts of soap sometimes happens when comparatively solution. This is circulated in the heater for smooth surfaced material such as is formed about an hour with the beater roll suificiently from felt made on a felt machine is used. A hard down to comb out the hair without cutstifiener made according to this invention ting it until each fiber is coated with the is exceedingly well adapted for the use inindividualizing agent. The pulp is then tended and is materiallycheaper and more ready for the paper machine and should be satisfactory than that having afelt basemade run quite wet and under heavy suction. on the usual felt machine. This method and furnish are more fully de- 1 claim: scribed and claimed in my application for 1. shoe stiffener comprising a felt base patent Serial No. 662,221, filed September 12, including hair of original length, short hair, 1928, for hair felt and method of making. and insoluble gelatinous material fixed there- Where hair and caustic or a solution of to, said base being saturated with thermoleather are employed they may be precipiplastic material and cut and skived. tated in the final product by the alum or other 2. A process which comprises forming a precipitating agent and produce a harder and stock containing cellulosic fiber, an individmore dense product incapable of receiving as ualizing agent, and a ma or portion of halr great a proportion of saturant as that proor original len h, beating the stock to effect duced by the use of the soap solution which the combing and individualization of the is washedout in the felting operation. The hair but without substantially reducing its 5 soap might, also, however, be precipitated, if length, running the stock off on a paper madesired, by the use of alum, but this would chine to produce a porous felt, and filling the not produce so hard a board as when short pores of the felt with a thermoplastic stiifenhair and caustic or leather solution is eming material. ployed. Other materials which act to form 3. A process of making shoe stifieners, a slimy mass in the beater engine such as talc which comprises forming a stock containing or fine asbestos may also be used as the cellulosic fiber, an individualizing agent, and individualizing agent. a major portion of hair of original length, The hair felt is saturated v ith the thermobeating and combing out the hair until it is plastic material while in sheet form, the thoroughly individualized, precipitating the sheet being then cut to the required shape to individualizing agent on the stock, running form individual stiffener blanks which are the stock ofif on'a paper machine to produce skived to form the finished stiffeners. a porous felt, saturating the felt with a ther- The stiffener thus made is assembled with moplastic stiffening material, and cutting the the upper of the shoe and then subjected to felt into shoe stiffener blanks. n a temperature sufficiently high to soften the 4. A shoe stiffener felt including a celthermo-plastic saturant, whereupon the lulosic fiber, hair of original length, short upper and the stiffener is shaped to the last, hair, and dissolved hair precipitated thereon, being pulled over and fastened to the sole said felt being saturated with thermoplastic or innersole of the shoe. During the pulling material. operation the stifiener stretches uniformly, 5. A process which comprises forming a the long hair fibers playing past each other stock containing cellulosic fiber, an individwhile still retained firmly in felted condition ualizing agent and a major portion of hair by the saturant. The long hair prevents the of original length, beating the stock to efiect material from tearing apart and as it is unithe combing and individualizing of the hair 12o formly distributed the stretching and disbut without substantially reducing its length, tortion takes place uniformly without the running the stock off on a paper machine to production of thick and thin spots, wrinkles, produce a porous felt, saturating the felt or creases. On-subsequent cooling after the with a thermoplastic stiflening material, cutpulling over and lasting operations have ting the felt into shoe stiffener blanks, and been completed, the stiffener sets firmly to its skiving the blanks. molded form. 6. A process which comprises hard-beat- One very valuable characteristic of a stiifing hair in the presence of alkaline water ener made as hereinbefore described, par until the hair is partially dissolved and reticularly where soap is used as the individualduced to a slimy mass containing relatively 1 short hair, adding hair of original length and cellulosic fiber, beating and combing out the long hair until it is thoroughly indiuidualized, precipitating the dissolved hair on the stock, running the stock off on a paper machine to produce a porous felt, and saturating the felt with thermoplastic stiffening material.

testlmony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

ALBERT L. CLAPP. 

